Abai, MR

6th International Congress of Dipterologyour analysis supports the inclusion of Psilochaeta, as well as the inclusionof Dalcyella, in the genus Brachygasterina latu sensu.Key Words: cladistic analysis, phylogeny, taxonomy∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗Phylogenetic relationships and male foreleg evolution inSepsidae.Su, K. F. & R. MeierEvolutionary Biology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, NationalUniversity of Singapore, Science Drive 4, S2 #02-01, Singapore 117543The Sepsidae are a family of acalypterate flies in the Sciomyzoidea, withabout 300 species in 30 genera. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeneticrelationships of the Sepsidae as well as trace the evolution of male fore legmorphology on the tree. The phylogenetic relationships of Sepsidae werereconstructed based on 74 species from 20 genera, using molecular data.We sequenced 11 gene fragments totaling about 10 kbp, including nuclear(28S, 18S, EF1α, H3, AATS, CAD) and mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S,COI, COII, Cytb). Sensitivity analyses were carried out to test whichweighting regime improved inter-partition congruence in the data andassessing several different alignment techniques. We re-establish that theSepsidae are monophyletic, but with respect to the relationships within thefamily, there is major topological conflict between the available molecularand morphological data. The males of many sepsid genera have stronglymodified fore legs bearing large spines and protuberances, while thefemale fore legs are relatively unmodified. Here, we study male fore legevolution by mapping fore leg characters onto the sepsid tree. We confirmthat the armature has evolved multiple times independently.Key Words: Sepsidae, molecular phylogeny, morphology, evolution241